New Moon Notes - December 2006

By Christine Payne-Towler
NewMoon December 20, 2006

Bonfire!

Although this is not the most-fiery period of this month (that had to be Dec 9th-10th, when everything save Uranus and Neptune was in a fire sign), this is certainly a great day on which to meditate about will power, desire, arousal, drive, ambition, action, and everything else associated with this element. How would we characterize the action of fire in the human domain? 

On the positive side, fire represents expansion, passion, the power to fulfill one's will in matters small and large, the ability to fan one's own flames the same way fire draws oxygen towards itself. On the more negative side, there's the issue of intensity, demandingness, comparativeness, rebelliousness -- a tendency towards jumping over one's boundaries and veering out of control. Fire is a great tool when it's contained, but then it's quite a harsh adversary when it bursts its limits.

The planets involved are the Sun/Moon pair, Pluto, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. (Saturn is also in a fire sign -- Leo -- but we'll get to him down the line.) What a merry band of pranksters these three visible planets are together!  Mercury has endless plans, interests, curiosities and attractions. Mars provides drive, vitality, and the competitive spirit to shoot for the bull's-eye.  Jupiter is endlessly optimistic and open to fresh opportunities, the planet for which all things seem possible. Give them the entirely fresh ground of a NewMoon in Sagittarius, and the sky is literally the limit. Humor, creativity, visionary boldness, uninhibited spirit, all of this is present in the current configuration.

On the other hand, the presence of Pluto as the closest planet to the NewMoon pair adds a tinge of underworld/otherworld focus to the mix. If nothing else, Pluto helps to define the "outer regions" of the human psyche, representing extremism of every stripe in the full bloom of its consuming passion. Don't get me wrong -- in some instances of the human story, nothing less will do. But the problem with Pluto is that his black-light beam, which so easily reveals our nasty messes, never turns off and leaves us alone. It seems that when one is "under the invisible ray" of Pluto transiting a hot spot of our chart, there’s a feeling of insatiable, obsessive probing going on 24/7. Like a volcano rising from its lava bed, there's a deep pulse pounding that will be not be denied. One can also think of how water, when frozen, expands and cracks apart anything that's trying to hold it. Aspects of the self that are hidden, shame-based, or repressed will seem to take on a life of their own, burrowing their way into visibility despite one's best efforts to contain them.

Reading this Pluto placement in concert with the other planets transiting NewMoon at the same time, we have a very optimistic, creative, energized climate in which the most drastic transformations might actually happen somewhat gracefully, or at least with some humor and "slack".  The great goodwill and high vitality of the Jupiter/Mars/Mercury lineup makes a perfect preamble to the phoenix-like immolation and resurrection that the NewMoon is staging there with Pluto.  It might do to remember that according to some of the oldest strata of astrological lore, the "rebirth or the year" happens with the Winter Solstice Festival of Lights, arriving at the end of this sign.  Sagittarius therefore represents the depth of the long nights of winter, after which the grip of darkness begins to slowly relax into longer, brighter days. The symbolic rebirth of the light will happen just two days from now, when the Sun rolls over into Capricorn, so consider the "moment" of this next few days as a last chance to wrap up the energy and momentum of 2006, before the whoosh of the holidays rolls us over into 2007 and plops us, permanently altered, into the future.

The message for all who can perceive Pluto's call is "mutate or die." In most cases the issue is not presented as starkly as that, but at least some part of the known self has to die in order for the unknown future to be born. Pluto catalyzes permanent change, activating hidden potentials and releasing locked-up energies. The issues Pluto highlights transcend the usual personal categories we employ to order our private lives, so we get a chance to see ourselves in a broader light. What have you contributed to the knowledge base of your field, for example? Where do you fall in the generational transmission of your inherited family culture? What have you done to make the world a better place because of your passing through it? These are the kinds of questions that are worthy of Pluto's very slow and intense x-ray scrutiny -- worthy of deep, rich and meaningful answers as well.  If we can embrace these kinds of questions without flinching, our psyches will rest more comfortably in our bodies and in our current incarnations.

At the forward end of this planetary string (zodiac-wise), Venus in Capricorn is just far enough away from NewMoon to be outside the bounds of even the widest conjunction. Yet she can be considered the "opener" or prow of the collective ship, cutting the waves (so to speak) for the NewMoon and it's band of merry retainers.   Venus has a comfortable position in Capricorn, since she is the ruler of Taurus, another of the Earth signs. Capricorn is the most abundant and cultured of the Earth signs, representing as it does the social class possessing great wealth and royal favor (whereas Taurus symbolizes the life of the peasant, and Virgo refers to the life of the merchant classes).  Therefore this Venus inclines towards attracting the attention of those who appreciate excellence, who have developed tastes and recognize value when they see it.  Allow your sensibilities to open out and respond to the refining forces at work in your life, so you can spend your time cultivating those relationships, activities, and alignments that improve your well-being and fulfill your ideal of the good life.  Remember, though, Capricorn is not so much about the bling as it is about lasting value. Those things that will be valuable “unto the seventh generation” are the things that Capricorn wants to possess -- intact family relations, for example, good health care and a peaceful environment so fertility and prosperity can be the norm.  Look around right now and notice those things that symbolize a rich and abundant life for you, then set your sights towards creating the lifestyle that will deliver more of those satisfactions to you.

The two outer planets further along, Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces (accompanied by the North Node), elicit other kinds of "invisible energies" within this pregnant moment. They do this more obliquely than Pluto does, luckily, because they are acting on the NewMoon from a distance. NewMoon has a septile with Neptune, in resonance with the idealism, visionary zeal and relentless faith that Sagittarius shares with Neptune. That fateful, karmic, face-the-music septile will test which of our personal fictions we are so hypnotized by that we can no longer discriminate fact from projection. At the same time Jupiter shares a very strong quintile to Neptune as well.  With that quintile, it is wise to remember, Neptune can foster our delusional side just as easy as it can foster our visionary side. Jupiter tends to exaggerate whatever he touches, so this Neptune trance of undifferentiated dream-stuff will likely be magnified whether we are conscious of the influence or not.

Meanwhile Uranus, which is usually portrayed as the electrical fury of a lightning bolt, contributes a comfortable quintile to the NewMoon. For once Uranus seems to dance in gently on the lapping waves of Pisces, delighting us with creative new ideas rather than shocking us with confrontational upset.  Uranus is also graced by his proximity to the South Node, which might allow for easier detachment and more comfortable passage when an old identification is seen to have outworn its usefulness.  Uranus' sextile with Venus adds more harmony, attraction and charm to his presentation, so to a large degree we can experience Uranus as a benefactor in this chart.

If there were some amount of edginess to Uranus' placement this month, it would be from the t-square that Mercury makes to the Nodes. The angle between Uranus and the South Node is a bit too wide for an opposition to close completely, but the feeling is still communicated because Mercury's t-square to the Nodes is quite close, with Uranus being well within orb of conjunction to the South Node. Uranus also has a square with Mars quite closely, so the residual stress of these contiguous 90-degree angles will not escape Uranus completely, even if his aspects with the NewMoon and other planets are mellow.  The advice here is to pay close attention when you are on the verge of irritation -- there's a good chance that what one is thinking might find a way to slip out of the mouth into speech (Mercury's influence). If Mars is activated too, then there is likely to be an embarrassing revelation of hostility or disrespect that follows.  Vigilance is required if harmonious relations are to be sustained.  Do what you can to spend your impulse energy in safe places -- have that fierce battle with your opinionated sibling across the ping-pong table in the basement, rather than over cocktails at a holiday dinner, for example.  Give yourself an extra-long workout and excellent nutrition before you head on over to the office Christmas party.  In general, try not to be carrying any extra irritation around with you, so you don't accidentally catch some innocent party in your cross hairs and blow them away just for existing!

Last but by no means least, there's the Saturn in Leo, which is currently the only planet showing retrograde motion.  The placement of this Saturn makes him "the tail that wags the dog", or in more traditional terms, the handle of a very narrow bucket containing the whole rest of the solar system. Saturn is the only planetary body in the sky for multiple signs in each direction, making him assume a disproportionate amount if importance in this chart.

Saturn rules our "shoulds", our duties, our obligations, and those debts we accrue because we are too unconscious to know the right way to get things done. Saturn can obligate us through many different channels -- family ties, monetary constraints, timing snafus, shallowness of preparation, failure to anticipate potential problems, and/or simple random accident. Saturn does not always operate via external pressure either -- he can reach you through your memories, through your dreams or even through the most mundane channels of popular entertainment. All it takes is for you to think, "I really ought to do something about  <XYZ>", and right there, Saturn has inserted his hook into you.  The power that makes Saturn binding is rooted in one's own conscience and moral sensibilities. As soon as we think, "that's my responsibility", then you ~have~ to follow through there. If you don't, then down the line Saturn will find a way to tax you where it hurts for ignoring your natural ethical urgings.

In this case Saturn is in Leo, and moving backwards across ground he has already covered, looking to pick up his dropped stitches. Nobody likes this particular exercise, and Leo is one of our more prideful and status-conscious signs.  This hints at the possibility that a cause for embarrassment might be unearthed during this retrograde pass. Possibly some mortifying detail will become evident during this period, necessitating some loss of face and amends to be made.  One's feet of clay might be revealed, or some dreadful secret from the dim past that throws current conditions into an entirely new light. Whatever the situation, it pays to undertake one's Saturnine debt-paying with a sense of humor, grace, and forgiveness. Nobody is exempted from do-overs; nobody is free of deficit or flaw. One of the positive things to strive for when Saturn is in his apparent tailspin is to model a positive and grateful attitude as our chances come to correct our previous effects and impressions. We don't always get this kind of opportunity to set the record straight, so consider it a blessing in disguise.

This is especially true because the Saturn is trine to the NewMoon and Pluto in this chart. Trines are encouraging, cooperative, expeditious and flowing, inclining towards harmonious relations as a matter of course. Saturn really sees himself supporting the NewMoon and Pluto in their self-immolating frenzy of rebirth, so he's offering fixed-sign resonances from Leo and from his own innate fixity. Saturn in Nature represents the teeth and bones of all the animals, and it also represents the collective memory, the holding power that the rocks and stones of the planet possess. With that, Saturn adds stability and permanence to whatever he touches. Therefore, even though the whole process of this chart is fiery and transformative, Saturn will preserve some "hard data" from past cycles, though perhaps in a rendered-down form. The refinery fires of Leo and Sagittarius will vaporize all flammable materials, but the imprint of the fundamental structures, the densest matter, will remain after the bonfire dies down.  It might be that, like the lava of Pompeii, these unyielding and immutable remainders will become foundation stones for future efforts, imparting the stability of past lessons well learned.

A final aspect pattern to highlight is the Grand Septile from Saturn to Jupiter and the North Node.  As I mentioned before, septiles have the energy of karma, one's own deeds coming home to roost so to speak. This figure betokens the situation of finding oneself on the receiving end of one's own past behaviors. Depending upon the ethos with which one has lived one's life, this can be a wonderful influence or it can be a dose of come-uppance. The ingredients of this triangle are the taskmaster Saturn, the zodiac's "lucky man" Jupiter, and the North Node, who marks the doorway to progress and improvements. Merge these influences together and it sounds like our best chances to advance towards our goals will come just as soon as we encourage and empower others to advance around us. This would be a perfect example of the application of the Golden Rule -- do unto others as if they were yourself, because in truth, over the long run, they are!

If there is an overarching theme to this chart, it might be that when we go into our transformations and our sacrifices willingly, they seem to hurt a bit less, which means we can kind of go along with the process more easily. What choice do we have really, other than to just roll with the punches? Allow the very good-humored, creative and energized companions of Pluto and the NewMoon -- Jupiter, Mars and Mercury -- to jolly you along as the transformation process proceeds. However the circumstances manifest, it is certain that there will be a lot of newly released energy available for rechannelling. To the extent that the old forms and roles were limiting you, you will now see the possibility of your freedom and self-determination being restored. Give some thought to what direction you would leap if you got a lucky break. Strip down your list of necessities until it's contents could all fit inside your car. Pay off your debts where possible, so you can go into the New Year less encumbered. Compose yourself an inspirational phrase and make it your mandate, catchphrase, or rallying cry, which you can use to help remember yourself when you fall away from your goals.  Realize that whatever the future might hold, it is better to be facing forward in the saddle and seeing ourselves coming, than it is to be facing backwards, still trying to manipulate the past, as we meet our fate. 

For those who are still wondering about how they should understand the Pluto-reclassifying debate, here's a very fine article written by a scientist who has a wider appreciation for the ambiguities involved than most writers I have seen: http://www.astrologycom.com/plutoplanet.html

May the Holidays grace you all with love, community pleasures, and light.  See you in the New Year!

CURRENT MOON PHASE GUIDE

    Current Phase of Moon: NewMoon at 28+ Sagittarius, Wednesday December 20th, midmorning.
    2nd Quarter, Waxing Half Moon at 5+ Aries, on Wednesday December 27th, midmorning.
    Full Moon at 12+ Cancer,  Wednesday January 3rd,  midmorning. At this point the Moon begins to wane, or decrease.
    4th Quarter, Waning Half Moon at 20+ Lbra, Thursday January 11th, in the sunrise hours.
    NewMoon 28+ Capricorn, Wednesday January 18th, late evening. From this moment, the moon begins to wax, or increase.

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The TAROT ARKLETTERS and NEW MOON NOTES are published by:

Christine Payne-Towler
Research: Esoteric Tarot, Literature and Practice; Tarot.com
Publisher, The Tarot Arkletters
Bishop, Gnostic Church of St. Mary Magdalene
Founder: Tarot University;
Author: The Underground Stream;

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